


are we in the clear?

by ofstarlight



Category: One Direction (Band), Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-29
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 02:52:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2531408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstarlight/pseuds/ofstarlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“are we?” ; his sudden words took her off guard and the laughter died on her lips, pulling confusion onto her features as she looked over at him, a question in her eyes, “are we what?” ; “are we in the clear?” | taylorharry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	are we in the clear?

**Author's Note:**

> a/n; i've never written anything for these two, or any actual celebrity in general, so it feels a bit strange to do so. i've never really been a big fan of real life ships, but this one hit me strong, and i couldn't not write this out. so, have at it. hope you enjoy.

There was a certain calm the hung in the air despite the anxiety coursing through her veins; this was new territory for her, but the things between them were starting to fall back into the 'okay' zone and she didn't want to throw the progress they'd made away by having written something that he might not exactly take kindly to.

Not that she had any plans of changing any of the songs----they were done. They were perfect, she was so proud of them, but she thought it was only right that he knew what they were about, _who_ they were about.

So, they were currently sitting in a hotel room, neither his nor hers, for publicity reasons, and she was hugging her mug to her chest. _Out of the Woods_ was blaring from the speakers of her laptop, sitting on the desk in the corner. He was seated in the only desk chair, staring intently at the screen, though she was sure he probably wasn't really _looking_ at it.

It was agonizing, almost, realizing that it was only the fourth track. She'd been so damn insistant that he listened to it in the proper order. That he got the messages the way they were supposed to play out before he gave his opinion.

She adjusted herself on the small sofa, hugging her knees to her chest with one arm as she took a careful sip of her coffee. There were a couple of times that he glanced over at her, a couple of times she watched his fingers twitch as he fought the urge to hit pause but she tightened her grip on the hot mug in her hands and shook her head once. Just once, every time. And she knew there were at least two times where he considered ignoring her completely, but instead he would sigh and turn his attention back to the screen.

She was dozing off, the coffee clearly not helping the way it should have, when she felt the sofa shift beside her and she jumped. She probably would have fallen off had he not reached out to steady her, a stoic expression on his face, green eyes not expressing anything to help her read him at all. It was a little disturbing, but not entirely off putting. Things were still getting better between them, they were working their way back to friends and she had just unloaded a truck full of emotions on him with that album, she knew.

Tucking her legs underneath her as she faced him on the sofa, she tugged at the hem of her blouse, a nervous habit he seemed to remember all too clearly, because his hands closed over hers to stop them from continuing the action and she tensed a bit, forcing herself to breathe clearly and to remember that he was her friend. That he wasn't a bad guy, wasn't that evil ex-boyfriend or some horrible heartbreaker ready to rip her to shreds over these feelings that she had, for so long, clung to.

He didn't say anything at first, though it was clear there was a great deal running through his mind and she wanted to give him the time to get the right words out, but she was never a particularly patient person.

“So...?”

The corner of his lips twitched the slightest and she knew he was trying to fight that knowing grin, that stupid little smirk that always let her know when he was reading her like a book.

And she knows that things are still a little tense, a little awkward between them, but she really wishes he would do something, say something that would make her laugh, that would make this silence just fly out the window.

“It was brilliant, Tay.”

And it's like she can breathe again; her eyes fall shut and she exhales so deeply she feels like she might just deflate completely.

When she feels her nerves have all but left her, she opens her eyes again, narrowing them as she eyes him suspiciously and blurts out, “You're not just saying that to spare my feelings are you?”

He laughs then, actually laughs for the first time since they met up and she feels herself unwinding a little more. “It was good, Taylor. Real good. Really.”

“Okay, but what do you _think_? Like...” She can't explain what she means with proper words but he knows precisely what it is she's trying to say and she's somehow still surprised, even after what they'd been through together.

“I think it's good, Tay, for you. For me. For everyone to see... To understand.” He answered, resting his hands on his lap and lacing his fingers together. He was avoiding her gaze and opted for staring at his hands instead as he continued. “Things... Ended badly, when they did. They shouldn't have and for a while we were both in a bad place because of it. But we're getting past that and this record is a good way to let the world know that.”

There was more, so much more, she could see that much. He was picking his words too carefully, but then that's how things had been going since they started speaking again. She had to appreciate that he'd managed to say that much to her.

She gave him a small smile, one she hoped looked more genuine than it felt before she leaned back a bit, her own hands resting on her lap as she muttered a soft, “Thank you.”

There was a single nod and another lingering silence. There was something in those green eyes this time and she wanted to know what was running through his head, but she didn't want to pry, didn't want to seem to nosy and give him any reason to close off anymore than he was.

Instead, she asked, “So... Which song did you like best?”

There was another laugh and she was grateful that she was able to still do that much, make him laugh; “That's a tough one.”

She pursed her lips and scrunched her face a bit before she asked again, “Okay, what are the top three, then?”

He glanced towards the laptop, sitting with a blank screen on the desk a few feet away before he turned back to her, a somewhat pensive expression on his features. “Alright, top three... _Wildest Dreams_ , _Out of The Woods_ , and.... _Style_.”

It was her turn to laugh; his answer was exactly what she expected and somehow not. She supposed she had a little too much faith in the fact that he had become far from predictable to her, but apparently some things just never really changed.

“Are we?”

His sudden words took her off guard and the laughter died on her lips, pulling confusion onto her features as she looked over at him, a question in her eyes, “Are we what?”

“Are we in the clear?” He muttered, and for a brief second she wanted to think he was joking, that he was pulling her leg but his expression told her that he wasn't.

She found herself reaching out, fingertips brushing over the long gone scars that had once graced his chin. Stitches tied in with a pain that was more than simply physical for both of them. He tensed for a moment, unsure how to react to the contact before he relaxed a little. She didn't want to push any boundaries, didn't want to ruin anything they had managed to build from the rubble of the bridge that they'd burned, but the memories came right back, as did the emotions she had finally managed to get under control through the making of the entire album.

She was good, she was happy, she was _clean_.

She tore her gaze from his chin, meeting his with a look she hoped could convey more than she could say aloud. “Yeah... Yeah, we are, Harry.”

His hand came up and closed around her wrist, pulling her closer and her breath caught in her throat; she couldn't. Not now, not yet----they were fixing it, they were rebuilding this and she was too damn exhausted from the last time to watch it all fall apart again before it even began.

“Harry---”

“I know, Taylor---I know.” He breathed, so damn close her mind was spinning and she had to close her eyes in order to keep thinking straight. “I'm not asking again. I know what the answer's going to be.”

“Then what are you doing?” She muttered, forcing herself to think clearly in this close proximity; his scent was overwhelming her senses and her self-control was wavering.

“I'm making it clear that this isn't over.”

Her eyes shot open, meeting a raging fire in those green eyes that threw her world up in flames. “What?”

The smirk returned in all its glory and her heart skipped a beat; “I'm not trying to wreck all that you've built for yourself, what you've done with this album. But it's not over yet, and it's going to take a while, because I want to get it right this time, but it's not over. Not yet.”

He closed the distance between them then, and she was sure for that moment she lost the ability to function properly. But his fingertips grazed the crook of her neck and she came alive, lips pressing against his in earnest before she pulled back. The action was probably more aggressive than she'd intended it to be, but it had to be done.

Fingers reached up, resting on her lips as she tried to catch her breath. Glancing up at him, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this. It was real, what they had, it was important and she still missed it, missed _him_ all the time, but she had struggled so hard and came so far to get to this place of happiness. Of peacefulness without him, or any other man in her life and she wasn't about to throw that all away.

“I'm not asking you to throw it all away, Tay...” He muttered, like he was freaking reading her thoughts and her eyes widened a bit as she continued to stare at him in shock, “I would never. I'm saying that... I want to be able to watch you embrace this all to the fullest extent. I want to be able to be by your side while you do it. And maybe it'll take a few months, maybe even years, but this isn't over between us and you know it. I'm willing to wait it out, if it means doing it right and proper this time 'round.”

Her heart was pounding in her chest, unable to process his words, almost as if they were literally going in one ear and out the other. Until he reached into his shirt and pulled out the paper airplane necklace that was always hanging from his neck and everything he had just said clicked into place. She focused on the necklace, an easier thing to focus on than his own intense gaze and before she knew it, she was reaching for the pendant, fingers brushing the cold metal. With her free hand, she reached into the pocked of her jeans and pulled out her own pendant, a simple, slightly varied replica of the one hanging from his neck. Letting go of his, she cupped her own necklace with both hands, staring down at the symbol as the conflicting emotions warred on within her.

“I guess we're not out of the woods just yet, Styles.” She muttered, eyes darting up to meet his and allowing herself the smallest of smiles.

And this time around, there wouldn't be any monsters in the form of trees.

 

**end.**


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